Quotas in the Serbian security sector – do they constrain or promote women?

Recent times have seen some changes to this situation, with the quota system being among the factors responsible for this. Quotas are provisional measures which set a minimum proportion of women in security sector institutions. In the Serbian security sector, a quota system is used for the enrolment of women in police or military schools or in training for police or military jobs.

In this paper authored by Maja Bjelos, following questions are being raised:

• Are quotas suitable for resolving the problem of inequality between women and men?
• Do they constrict or encourage the recruitment and promotion of women in traditional security institutions?
• Do they alter the prevailing perception of the role of women in the security sector, or do they reinforce existing preconceptions?

This paper focusses primarily on analysing the way in which the quota system has been applied in the Serbian police and military. Based on this, recommendations are made for security and defence system institutions. In addition, the paper attempts to identify the origin of quotas and to outline the advantages and shortcomings of their application in the security sector.